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A mother of three in Sicily has been jailed after her toddler son was admitted to hospital with bruises, scratches, burns and a suspected cocaine overdose.

The 18-month-year-old boy, named by La Repubblica as Samuele, was admitted to a children’s hospital in Palermo, Sicily, in December 2011 in a life-threatening condition.

Doctors examining the child found small bruises and scratches all over his body as well as burn marks on his hands.

A large concentration of cocaine was also discovered in the child’s urine suggesting the child could have suffered from an overdose.

The mother and her partner – both drug addicts – were accused of leaving cocaine on the table which was then ingested by the child and their two other children. However, the mother was acquitted of allowing the child to take cocaine.

According to the prosecutor, the mother repeatedly hit the child in the head and face and allowed his brother to hurt him. This version of events was backed up by the woman’s partner, who also admitted to taking cocaine with the mother.

The mother had claimed that the child acquired the injuries when he fell from his highchair. However investigators failed to find a highchair at the woman’s place of residence.

On Wednesday morning the mother was sentenced to three years in prison for abuse and bodily harm.

The woman’s partner will appear in court on May 28th where he will face charges of allowing the baby to ingest cocaine.